Patty and Azalea eBook

“I don’t know about samplers. Of
course, I know what they are,—­but what
makes them valuable?”

“Age, my dear. And authoritative dates.
People make collections of old samplers, and those
who collect will spend ’most anything for a good
specimen.”

“I’ve one that my grandmother made,—­at
least, I can get it. Would you like it?”

“Would I? Indeed I would! But you
ought to keep that, Azalea. My, what a generous
girl you are! You’d give away your head,
if it weren’t fastened on! No, dear child,
keep your grandmother’s sampler yourself.
Is it a good one?”

“I don’t know what a ‘good’
one is. It has flowers on it, and little people,—­queer
ones,—­and a long verse of poetry and an
alphabet of letters.”

“And the date?”

“Yes; 1836, I think it is.”

“That’s fairly old. Not a collection
piece,—­but a good date. Is it in good
condition,—­or worn?”

“Good as new. I don’t want it, Elise,—­that
is, I’d like to give it to you. You’ve
been awful good to me.”

“All right, Zaly, send for it, and we’ll
take a look at it, anyway.”

CHAPTER XI

THE SAMPLER

Vanity Fair was all that its name implied. By
good fortune, the weather was perfect,—­ideally
pleasant and sunshiny, yet not too warm. Wistaria
Porch was transformed into a veritable Fairyland, and
it was a bewildering vision of flowers, flags and
frivolity by day, and a blaze of illuminated gaiety
by night.

It was to last but two days, for, Patty said, they
might hope for fair weather for that long but hardly
for three days.

It was to open at noon, and all the morning everybody
was running about, doing last minute errands or attending
to belated decorations.

Azalea had the Indian booth. It was a wigwam,
in effect, but it was so bedecked and ornamented that
it is doubtful if a real Indian would have recognised
it as one. However, it was filled with real Indian
wares, and the beautiful baskets and pottery were
sure to prove best sellers. Azalea received a
large consignment from some place she had sent to in
Arizona, and other people had donated appropriate gifts,
until the little tent was overflowing.

Azalea herself, the attendant on the booth, was in
the garb of an Indian princess, a friend of Patty’s
having lent the costume for the occasion. It
was becoming to the girl, and she looked really handsome
in the picturesque trappings, and elaborate head-dress.

Just before time for the Fair to be opened, Azalea
went over to Elise’s booth. As she had
planned, Elise had a log cabin, and in it she had
arranged a motley collection of antiques and heirlooms
that were quaint and valuable. It was the design
of the Fair to sell really worthwhile things at their
full value; and as they expected many wealthy patrons,
the committees felt pretty sure of a grand success.